Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated that without improved prevention and early detection, cancer cases in Indonesia are projected to increase by over 70 percent by 2050.
“The number of deaths from cancer continues to increase every year,” Budi noted in his statement, Tuesday.
Currently, the minister pointed out that around 400 thousand new cases of cancer are detected annually, with approximately 240 thousand deaths.
Without effective interventions, he warned, the burden of cancer will increase, impacting both public health and the economy.
Consequently, Budi expressed support for the Perthera-Pathgen partnership to leverage AI to tackle major obstacles in cancer treatment, given the complexity of analyzing billions of genomic, metabolic, microbiota, and other data points that are challenging to interpret and search.
Perthera is known as The Therapeutic Intelligence Company, while Pathgen Diagnostic Technology is Indonesia's leading molecular diagnostic provider.
The CEO of Pathgen Diagnostic Technology, Dr. Susanti, stated that AI-based technology can increase survival rates for cancer patients by two and a half times, reduce treatment costs by enabling more appropriate drug selection, and help doctors provide the right drug recommendations.
"This can reduce costs by 30 percent. Hopefully, it can be implemented widely by PathGen in Indonesia, along with medical and clinical colleagues to overall reduce national costs with accurate early detection and the use of the right drugs," she affirmed.
Susanti affirmed her commitment to ensuring that no cancer patient in Indonesia is left without hope or access to the best possible treatment.
Through this partnership, both companies will work together to use AI to collect data, consult with experts, and determine accurate diagnoses and optimal therapies and medicines.
"So this AI only helps speed up the diagnosis results. It does not replace the diagnostic work. Many steps are still required before therapy decisions can be made faster,” the ministry’s director general of pharmacy and medical devices, Lucia Rizka Andalusia, stated.
This collaboration is expected to expand access to high-quality cancer services across Indonesia.
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Translator: Mecca Yumna Ning Prisie, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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